A Public Spaces Protection Order covering the whole of South Gloucestershire is being proposed in response to growing concerns about the number of anti-social car cruises in the district.
Car cruising involves a congregation of drivers and their passengers, together with spectators, who gather or meet in car parks and other public places in order to race, perform stunts or show off their vehicles.
Longwell Green is one of the areas where problems have been reported including in the car parks at Aspects Leisure Park, Asda and Gallagher Retail Park and in May we reported that patrols to collate reports for a PSPO application were taking place.
South Gloucestershire Council, which has just launched a consultation on the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), says car cruises often result in reports of anti-social behaviour from residents and local businesses who are affected, as well as impacting on other road users. “In addition, these often spontaneous events place a significant demand on police resources, local private security staff and in some cases council resources.”
The council says that some of the anti-social behaviour attached to car cruising include:
- Causing a danger or risk of injury to other road users, including pedestrians, by speeding or racing;
- Causing damage or risk of damage to property;
- Speeding or racing on the public highway;
- Performing stunts, including but not limited to, doughnuts, manoeuvre drifting, skidding, handbrake turns, or wheel spinning;
- Sounding horns or the playing of loud music so as to cause a nuisance;
- Revving of engines so as to cause a nuisance;
- Causing obstruction on a public highway or publicly accessible land.
Breaching the order would be punishable with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 (reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days). If the Fixed Penalty is paid within 14 days, the offender would not be prosecuted.
People are being invited to have their say in an online survey.
